


counting stars

by celestial_nova



Series: learn to trust // naegiri week 2019 [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Dorks Looking At Stars, F/M, Fluff, Happy Valentine's Day!!!, Hospitals, Injury Recovery, Introspection, Light Angst, Naegiri Week 2019, Undefined Relationship (aka author is too lazy to figure it out), a little bit of, but that's a background thing - Freeform, except im three days late, except im two months late, hiro komaru and toko are mentioned, it's just makoto being sad for two (2) seconds, pining fools, sneaking around hospitals at late hours with the bestie, togami is a tsundere who cares about his friends but wont admit it, wow im sensing a pattern
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:39:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22764118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestial_nova/pseuds/celestial_nova
Summary: i've been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be// naegiri week day three: stars
Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto
Series: learn to trust // naegiri week 2019 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1572997
Comments: 10
Kudos: 63





	counting stars

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know how hospitals work, nor do i know how stars work, but i'm too lazy to do research so don't @ me

“...rigi...”

“...Kiri…an...”

“Kirigiri-san!”

Kyoko sluggishly blinked awake to hushed whispers and a hand gently shaking her shoulder. Squinting through sleep-weighted eyelids, she made out the face of Makoto Naegi, cast in a silver light that contrasted with deep shadows. His eyes, wide with what she tiredly guessed was excitement, were an interestingly warped shade of gray blue. To be completely honest, he looked really pretty in that lighting, and she wouldn't mind looking at his face for hours ( _ God Kyoko, when did you become such a sap? _ ). The medication she was on was  _ really strong _ and she wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep for days, but she had never been able to deny him, so she fought to keep her eyes open. 

“Hm…?” she managed to hum in response, blinking a few times. 

He jumped, as if he hadn’t known she was awake, then smiled. “Okay this is probably a really  _ really _ bad idea cause you need rest so you can get better and the doctors will get mad and Togami will be absolutely  _ pissed _ and-”

“Naegi-kun,” Kyoko murmured, cutting him off, predicting that his whispers would turn into a long, rambling tangent. “Wha’d’you want?” Her words were slurred, as if her lips were numb, and she was once again reminded of why she didn’t like hospitals and sleep-inducing medicine. 

His already childish grin widened. “You can see the stars tonight!”

Naegi was practically glowing with happiness, and looked so much like his high-school self it made her solemn. Nostalgia settled heavy in her stomach, and the feeling made her a little bit sick. Doing her best to distract herself from it, she tried to focus instead on how bright and adorable he was, and how fuzzy that all made her feel, which was a little disorienting since she often tried her hardest to ignore it.

Resigning herself to the fact that this probably wasn’t just a late night conversation, she pushed herself off of her side and sat up. She rubbed her eyes with her right hand, belatedly realizing that she didn’t have her gloves on, and quickly thereafter reaching the conclusion that she didn’t quite care. “Well,” she started, an easy smile slipping onto her face as her drowsiness began to fade, “what is this so called ‘really really bad idea’ of yours?”

“Well, since you can’t really see the stars from the window… I thought we should go to the rooftop.” He sounded a little more unsure now that his plan was out in the open, and his expression faltered a bit. “Although, I don’t know if we are allowed to go up there…” 

“We aren’t,” Kyoko said simply, remembering Hina complaining about it earlier in the week. She had wanted to go up there for some fresh air to stretch, but apparently there was a sign posted on the stairwell door that forbade visitor or patient entry. 

Naegi’s smile completely fell, and he looked down sullenly. “Oh, I see… well, it was kind of a stupid idea anyway. Sorry to bo-”

“Naegi-kun,” she interrupted before his kicked-puppy demeanor could twist her heart even further. “I never declined your offer.”

His head jerked up, and he blinked owlishly at her. “But you-”

“I merely confirmed your assumption.” Kyoko couldn’t help but smile in amusement at the way his jaw dropped. “Besides, I’ve been wanting to get out of this dreary hospital room and walk around for a while.”

“I know, right? These rooms could use a little bit of decoration.” Naegi threw her a lopsided grin, and she responded with a hearty roll of her eyes, although she didn’t stop smiling.

“Like I was saying, I’ve been meaning to slip out for some fresh air. However, I’m not sure sneaking out to a restricted area of the hospital at-,” Kyoko glanced at the clock on the table to her left. “-12:23 in the morning is the wisest course of action.”

Naegi sighed. “Yeah, you’re right… it’s probably not a good idea.” 

He fidgeted with the hem of his hospital-issued shirt, crestfallen, and  _ honestly _ , he had far too much leeway over her. 

“But it has been a while since we’ve seen the stars.” Naegi perked up as she continued. “I will admit, I’ve missed seeing them every night.”

“Does that mean-?”

It was Kyoko’s turn to sigh, although hers was more fondly exasperated than disappointed. “I suppose it does.” Despite her apprehension, a little half-grin curved over her lips. “Let’s go to the rooftop.”

Getting to the rooftop access point was simple enough - Kyoko had been taken off of her IV drip a few days ago, and Naegi had just recently graduated from crutches to a boot, so their trek through the hallway wasn’t difficult. They didn’t even run into any of the staff - doctors and nurses have been stretched thin ever since the Tragedy, and regardless, most of the hospital security was stationed on the outside. When they reached the staircase, the door was miraculously unlocked, and Naegi, with a cheesy grin, chalked it up to luck. 

Kyoko let Naegi take the lead up the staircase, carefully eyeing the awkward way his boot didn’t quite fit on each step, ready to catch him if he slipped. Or at least, she would try her best - the momentum would probably send both of them tumbling down, but she would be able to break his fall and lessen his chance of injury. 

(She didn’t want him to fall, not again, and for her to be at fault for it, and to feel that crushing guilt claw at her mind for weeks on end again.)

At the top of the stairs, Naegi placed his hand on the doorknob, then paused. Kyoko stopped on the step behind him. “What’s wrong?”

“What if… what if it’s not how I remember?” His hand fell back to his side. “What if, after all this time, the thing I’ve wished to see again for so long isn’t what I imagined it to be?” Kyoko’s breath caught at the doubt in his voice, a tone she hadn’t heard since the Final Killing Game when Munakata had torn into his ideals. “And after I’ve spent so long…  _ hoping _ , the thing I’ve hoped for doesn’t match up to the predictions in my head?” 

_ This isn’t about the sky anymore, is it? _

The silence hung thickly as Kyoko gathered her thoughts. After a moment of deliberation, she said softly but definitely, “It won’t.”

Naegi turned partially towards her. “...what?” 

“It won’t match up to the picture in your mind. It just won’t. That’s how memories work - they become contaminated by how other people describe them, and change every time you recall them. So, yes, it’s not going to be what you imagine it as.” 

Naegi’s face fell, and he looked off to the side. Kyoko grimaced at how stiff and negative she sounded, and in an attempt to be more comforting, placed a hand on his shoulder before continuing. “But, using your own logic, what if it’s better than you hoped? What if you get out there, and see everything you hoped for and more?”   
  


Naegi glanced back at her with wide eyes, his jaw dropping in shock. For the few seconds where he just stared at her, her stomach twisted, and she wondered if she had said the wrong thing. Then he smiled, his eyes scrunching at the corners, grateful with a little bit of lingering melancholy. “Thanks, Kirigiri-san.”

Kyoko felt herself relax. She smiled back, hoping her blatant relief wasn’t too obvious, and nodded, her eyes flicking towards the door as a prompt. Naegi took a deep breath as he turned back, then slowly, as if someone was trying to pull his arm back, pushed open the rooftop exit.

For a split second, Kyoko braced herself for the screech of an alarm, but the only sound was the gentle  _ whoosh _ of changing air pressure as the heavy door slid open. Her eyes caught a splash of dark navy just over the top of Naegi’s head, the rest was obscured from her view as Naegi seemed to freeze. It really was a narrow staircase. 

“Is something wrong?” she asked, bracing herself for one of the many possible emotional reactions he could break into, but he just stayed still, completely unresponsive. After a five-second grace period, she tried again, this time placing a hand on his shoulder as she spoke. “Naegi-kun?”

Naegi jumped, the touch seeming to startle him out of whatever trance was in. When he turned to her, all of her fears dissipated at the soft, awe-filled smile on his face. “Sorry,” he said, his voice thick. “It’s just… it’s not the same as from my window, it’s…” He shook his head with a quiet, breathy laugh. “No, you have to see it.” 

At the end of his sentence, he held out his hand to her. After a moment of hesitation, Kyoko dropped her hand from his shoulder to slide it into his, trying to not to shiver at the spark that seemed to jump between their palms. She waited for him to flinch at the feeling of her scars, or grimace, or just let go of it entirely - but none of that happened. He just curled his fingers, holding it tighter. Her throat seemed to close in on itself. 

Turning back, Naegi threaded their fingers together as he cleared the final steps, pulling Kyoko along behind him through the threshold. He stepped aside as she reached the rooftop, and as the night sky came fully into view Kyoko couldn’t help but gasp. 

By all accounts, it was an ordinary night sky - a rich dark blue, almost black, dotted white with stars and faraway planets, hazed over with thin clouds. But it was the ordinarity of it that made it so breathtaking; for years, the sky had cycled through harsh and violent shades of crimson, thick with smoke pollution.  _ That _ had been their “ordinary”. The realization that this beautiful blue, cool and calm and familiar in a homesick kind of way, would be their new ordinary… it made Kyoko more emotional than it should have. 

(Or maybe that was when everything clicked for her - that after unending years of devastation and destruction, the future they had fought so desperately for had finally arrived. That they had made it. That they had  _ won _ . That despair had truly been defeated, and they could finally lay down and rest in the world they thought they had lost.)

Plus, if Kyoko was being honest, there were a few things she had forgotten about how the sky at night had looked. Even though she still remembered the night sky, she had forgotten how bright the stars were, or the exact location of Andromeda and Orion, or how the sky seemed to form a perfect gradient as it brushed against the horizon. It was the smallest details that she had forgotten, yet those were what made it so beautiful.

Kyoko exhaled shakily, feeling the corners of her lips lift upwards of their own accord. To her left, Naegi gave her hand a light squeeze. “Isn’t it amazing?” he said in a hushed murmur.

Awestruck, all Kyoko could do was hum in response. And for a long while after that, neither of them said anything, standing in silent solitude as their eyes traced the stars. A gentle breeze washed over the rooftop, bringing with it a nighttime chill, and Naegi pressed closer to her, whether intentionally or not. Kyoko found it surprisingly easy to not pull away (and not just because hospital gowns weren’t warm in the slightest).

Once a few minutes had passed, she had the sudden urge to say something. Which was incredibly odd, since she was hardly one for small talk, and silences between her and Naegi were never uncomfortable. Even still, her free hand drifted to point at the stars, finding a familiar constellation. “There’s Perseus,” she said quietly, the sentence almost swallowed by the nighttime wind. 

She felt Naegi shift. “Oh, is that what that one’s called?”

That was… not the reaction Kyoko was expecting. “Yes, it’s named for the Greek myth.” She turned her head to face him and quirked up an eyebrow. “What did you think it was called?”

“Ah, well…” He rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish. “I never really learned its name, so I just called it Wishbone.” 

Kyoko had to press her lips together to suppress a smile. “Wishbone?” The name was so childish, but simultaneously so  _ Naegi _ that it made a laugh try to bubble up through her throat. “Wishbone?”

“Don’t laugh!” Naegi’s cheeks puffed out a bit in a pout, and it got that much more difficult not to grin. 

“Where on earth did you come up with that?”

His expression grew wistful, and he glanced back up at the sky. “When me and Komaru were kids, she had this window seat in her room. Some nights, if I couldn’t sleep, I’d sneak into her room and we’d look at the stars and try to find constellations. But since we were just little kids, we didn’t know the names, so we made up our own.”

A warm fondness welled up in her chest. “Is that why you wanted to come out here tonight?”

He chuckled, quiet and low. “Got me there.” Naegi’s eyes found their way to hers, and for a moment she was transfixed. They were still that strange blue shade, but now she was  _ much  _ closer; they looked darker, clearer, and it seemed as if she could see the stars reflected in them. She couldn’t look away, could hardly remember to breathe. 

Then her senses ( _ finally _ ) returned, and Kyoko quickly averted her eyes, clearing her throat as she did. Naegi did the same, the muscles in his arm tensing against her own. She was acutely aware of the heat that was crawling across her cheekbones, and she hoped the darkness hid it from Naegi’s view. “Do you remember any others?” she asked, thankfully as even-toned as usual. 

“Others…?” 

She smiled at his familiar obliviousness. “The constellation names you and your sister came up with.”

“Oh!” Naegi relaxed beside her, all of the tension and awkwardness leaving as abruptly as it had arrived. “Yeah, most of them.”

Kyoko scanned the stars, looking for a constellation that she recognized. “How about that one?” Her index finger brushed the corner of Vela, the Sail of the Argonauts’ Ship.

Naegi’s head moved closer to hers in order to see, his fluffy bed-head hair ghosting against her cheek. Goosebumps raised on the back of her neck. “Hm? Oh, that one! That’s Manta Ray.”

The left side of her mouth tugged into a smirk. “Manta Ray?” 

“Hey, we were little kids!” His tone was indignant, but when she looked over his face was split by a wide grin. “Besides, they’re adorable.” 

“Are they now?”

“Mm-hm. Big sea pancakes.”

“Did you seriously just call manta rays ‘sea pancakes’?”

“It’s true!” 

Kyoko sighed, but even she could hear the fondness laced into it. “Whatever you say.” Her eyes returned to the sky, the smile on her face remaining as she searched for another constellation. “What about… that one?” She pointed to Cassiopeia. 

“Lightning Bolt.”

Her finger slid to Andromeda. “That one?” 

“Crab.”

“And… that one?” Next was Libra, which she offhandedly remembered was her zodiac. 

“We just called that The House One.”

Kyoko tilted her head. “Okay, I can see that.”

“Told ya!”

She rolled her eyes at his triumphant tone. “I’d hardly call the two of you astronomers.” Naegi just smiled even wider. 

“Okay, star expert. What do you call that one?” She pointed to Canis Minor, which she supposed was a little unfair, but she was finding this entirely too amusing to care. 

Naegi leaned forward. “Um... are you sure there’s a constellation there?”

“Of course I’m sure. Have you lost faith in me, Naegi-kun?”

“No, of course not!” Naegi raised his hands - presumably to wave them in front of his face, as was a habit of his - lifting her hand in the process. Apparently, he had forgotten they were holding hands (and to be honest, she had too). He stared at their interlocked hands for a moment, then flicked his gaze up to her face, meeting Kyoko’s eyes as she tried to gauge his reaction. For reasons unknown to her, she felt nervous - what was she worried about? That he would let go of her hand? That he wouldn’t?

Naegi, for his part, seemed frozen on the spot, and didn’t look like he was going to do anything anytime soon. So on a bold whim, she adjusted her grip, and slowly pulled their hands back down between them. That seemed to bring him back to earth, and he smiled at her, gentle and warm. The back of her neck flushed with heat, and suddenly his gaze was just a little too intense. Kyoko quickly shifted her eyes back to the sky, clearing her throat as she did so.

“So, um-” Naegi’s voice was sheepish as he continued his previous thought. “-where’s that constellation again?”

Kyoko was eternally grateful for the transition. “See that really bright star? Look up and to the right, and there are two more that are just a little brighter than the others around it.”

“...Is that it? N-Nothing against you, Kirigiri-san! It’s just… that’s three stars.”

Kyoko had to bite back a smile. “Indeed.”

“And what is that supposed to be?”

“A dog.”

Naegi turned to look at her, then, his eyes wide with incredulity. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“I can assure you that I am not.” 

“Alright, I’m officially done with astronomy. We can go back inside now, it wasn’t worth it.”

Whether it was because of the medication, or the late hour, or simply how open and unguarded she felt around Naegi, Kyoko tipped her head back and laughed. It was hardly anything special, but it was still more than her usual huff or snicker. The last time she had laughed like that was… she actually couldn’t remember. 

When Kyoko had reigned it back under her control, she looked over to see Naegi openly staring at her, something like awe or wonder on his face. She was still smiling, and her voice was a little sweeter than she was used to when she asked, “What?” 

A dopey grin stretched over his face. “Nothing,” he murmured. “Just that I think you should laugh more.”

For what seemed like one too many times that night, Kyoko’s face warmed. Naegi really had too much power over her. “Maybe I will.”

After that, the two of them picked up right where they left off, tracing their way across the nighttime sky through various constellations. At some point between Orion (“The Hourglass”) and Ara (“Sideways Flag”), they found their way to the three-foot wall that ran along the perimeter of the rooftop, sitting next to each other with their backs against the concrete. It didn’t take long for Naegi to start to doze off, his head dropping onto Kyoko’s shoulder as he mumbled about memories of childhood stargazing. 

When his rambling ceased and his breathing evened out, Kyoko found herself content to gaze up at the sky, the cold not bothering her in the slightest.

~ 

Byakuya honestly shouldn’t have been surprised. 

That morning, he had received a call from the front desk of the hospital saying that Kirigiri and Naegi had gone missing, and that he was listed as the primary contact for both of them. After grumbling to himself that they really needed to leave him out of their business, he had immediately driven over (he had nothing better to do, that paperwork wasn’t important anyway), going much faster than he should have (merely for efficiency, he wanted to get this over with) and calling Asahina and Hagakure along the way. He held off on calling Fukawa or the younger Naegi, since it wasn’t confirmed that something bad had actually happened. And nothing  _ would _ happen, not that he cared. Not at all. 

He promptly ignored the way his stomach twisted at the thought of them being in danger. 

When he had arrived at the hospital, Asahina was already hobbling around the hallways, looking increasingly frustrated with the burden of her crutches. Byakuya told her to stay on the first floor while he headed up to the third level where Naegi and Kirigiri’s rooms were. 

Naegi’s room had been in relative disarray - blankets thrown back and falling off of the mattress, personal belongings scattered on the counter - which wasn’t that far out of character for him. The condition of Kirigiri’s room, however, had surprised him; her bed was unmade as well, but most notably, her gloves were still lying on her nightstand. 

Byakuya had stared at them for a moment before slipping them into his pocket, and  _ no _ , he  _ didn’t _ grow even more concerned, because he wasn’t concerned in the first place.

Now, standing on the hospital rooftop, he knew that- alright,  _ fine _ , he had been worried about them, but all of that worry had ended up being quite unnecessary. 

Byakuya pulled his phone out of his pocket and selected Asahina from his recents. She picked up on the first ring. “I found them,” he said immediately, before she could even ask.

_ “Are they okay?! Oh,  _ please _ tell me they’re okay!” _

“Don’t worry,” he assured her, looking down to where Naegi and Kirigiri were curled up against each other, fast asleep. “I think they’re going to be just fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> hahaha remember when i said i was gonna do all of naegiri week then dropped off of the face of the earth after writing two fics
> 
> ANYWAY this was supposed to be like... not as long as it is but i tend to get carried away with these two. finals also were An Absolute Bitch so i abandoned naegiri week in favor of saving my ass. then valentine's day snuck up behind me and hit me over the head with a box of chocolates and i tried to get it finished, but tbh ill gladly accept three days late.
> 
> i feel like you all deserve to know that this is just me projecting my adoration of the stars and love of the beautiful fluffball of a human that is makoto naegi. happy belated birthday sweetie ily
> 
> anyhoosies enough of my rambling, i hope you guys enjoyed!! kudos are appreciated, comments can and will make me pass out on the spot


End file.
